For millions, the Galápagos Islands represent nature at its most unspoiled, an inviolate place famed for its rare flora and fauna. But as Carol Ann Bassett details, the human population is growing, and the islands are at the mercy of tour companies, modern-day pirates who poach endangered marine species, and policy makers in far-off Ecuador. Even though the Galápagos remains a perfect example of how an environment can be destroyed, Bassett shares what is being done to preserve these islands before it is too late.